Apparatus for purifying water.



No. 683,349. Patented Sepi. '24, I901.

A. SURGE, IR. APPARATUS FOR PUBIFYING WATER; (Application filed Nov. :5,190g. (No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 683,349. Patented Sept. 24, 190:.

A. SURGE, JR.

APPARATUS FOR PUBIFYING WATER.

(Application filed Nov. 9, 1900.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheat 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPH SORGE, JB., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR P URIFYING WATER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 683,349, dated September24, 1901.

Application filed November 9, 1900. fierial No. 35,919. (No model.)

T0 on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ADOLPH SORGE, J r., a citizen of the United States,residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook, in the State of Illinois,have invented certain new and usef ul Improvements in Water-PurifyingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of purifying apparatus in which theimpurities that it is desired to remove are brought down or collected bythe chemical action of reagents supplied for the purpose and areafterward removed from the chemically-treated water by filtration. Moreparticularly, it contemplates an apparatus for use in connection withfeed-water heaters to purify the boilersupply passing through theheater.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction inapparatus of the character referred to, and especially to insure acontinuous flow of the chemical solution supplied in uniform proportionto the flow of the feed-water and with a uniform density of solution andto prevent the formation during the operation and in the pipes whichconduct the solution to the feed-water of any deposit or incrustationresulting from the precipitation of the chemical before reaching thelocality where the chemical is employed.

Theinvention consists in the matters herein set forth and particularlypointed out in the appended claims and will be fully understood from theaccompanying description of the construction illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of afeed-water apparatus embodying my improvements in one form, parts of theexterior Walls being broken away to more clearly show its internalconstruction. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is an endelevation thereof.

In said drawings, 1 designates a feed-water heater of the openftype orvariety; 2, the supply-pipe which discharges the feedwater into theupper end of said heater; 3, the outlet-pipe leading from the heater tothe boilers, (not herein illustrated,) and 4t and 5 the inlet andexhaustpipes through which the exhaust-steam from the engine is supplied to andconducted from the heater. The latter may be of any usual or desiredconstruction, it being herein shown as provided in its,

of the feed-water-supply pipe.

upper portion with a series of inclined trays 6, upon the uppermost oneof which the cold feed-Water entering through the supply-pipe 2 isdischarged to flow in a shallow stream over the succeeding lower trayssubject to the heating influence of the surrounding atmosphere ofexhaust-steam until it finally falls from the lowermost tray in a heatedcondition and collects in the lower portion of the heater, ready to bedrawn off through the outlet-pipe 3, leading to the boilers. Anysuitable float 7, controlling the valve 8 in the water-supply pipethrough appropriate intermediate connections 9, may be provided toregulate the admission of the feed-water in accordance with the rate atwhich it is drawn off to the boilers and in such manner as to maintainsubstantially constant the waterlevel within the heater.

The chemical treatment of the feed-water is herein shown as accomplishedby the provision of a chemical-tank 10, in which the desired reagent isplaced and which is supplied with water under pressure from a suitablesourceconveniently through a connection 11, leading from the supply-pipe2. The water entering through this connection becomes impregnated withthe reagent and is then discharged back into the feed-water through apipe 12, in which a sight-feed 13 is provided to enable its flow to bevisually regulated, the chemical-tank being thus, in efiect, simplyconnected in a by pass around a portion This by-pass is as a furtherimprovement arranged to have its discharge at a point where it will befree from the back pressure of the entering feedwater, which would tendto reverse the flow through the by-pass, and thus either choke and stopthe flow altogether or check and render it irregular. To this end theby-pass is arranged to discharge either into the top of the heater, asshown, or into the supply-' pipe 2 close enough to its point ofdischarge to be free from the pressure of the water entering throughsaid pipe. The chemical solution then drops freely into and lningleswith the incoming feed-water and is thoroughly intermixed therewith whenit collects in the lower portion of the heater. The impurities broughtdown or collected by its reaction are then removed by a filter 14, thatmay be provided at any suitable point, but

which in accordance with the present design is conveniently located inthe lower portion of the heater, as indicated in Fig. 1. i

In practice it has been found that where caustic soda or othersolidcompounds are employed as reagents a better and more uniform chemicalreaction can be counted on if the flow of water through the tank be soregulated as to produce a saturated solution, which of course willalways be of uniform strength. \Vith such a saturated solution, however,a constant tendency exists to produce a deposit in the pipe 12, leadingfrom the tank, and it frequently happens that in a comparatively shorttime the incrustation resulting therefrom will completely close or chokesuch pipe and stop the working of the apparatus until it is removed. Asa further improvement and for the purpose of obviating this difficulty,therefore, the pipe 12 is herein shown as provided with a jacket 15,

throughwhich a circulation of hot water or steam is maintained.Aninlet-pipe 16, leading from any suitable source of supply, ishe'rein'shown as entering said jacketclose to the tank 10, while adischarge-pipe 17 leads from the upper extremity of the jacket down intothe heater. With this construction saturation is secured and a uniformsolution will continue to flow from the tank; but the heating of thewater by the jacket will so increase its chemical-carryin g capacity or,in effect, de-

crease the density of the solution as to overcome and prevent anytendency toward the formation of a deposit in the pipe 12. As hereinshown, also, a valved connection 18 leads from the hot-water pipe 16 toa plurality of downwardly-ex'tending pipes 19, leading into the bottomof the chemical-tank, these pipes being also in communication with thefeed-water connection 11 and serving as the inlet-pipes through whichwater is supplied to the tank 10. The object of this arrangement is toenable the caustic soda or other chemical, which tends to settle down ina solid cake at the bottom of the tank, to be pcriodically stirred up bya copious supply of hot water admitted through the valve 18, theattendant being instructed to open this valve at intervals frequentenough to prevent such solidification.

Obviously variously changes may be made in the details of theconstruction shown, and the essential features of the improvement stillmade available in whole or in part.- It will also be understood that,while particularly designed for use in connection wit-h the heatersystem in the purification of feedwater for boilers or the like, myforegoing improvements, in so far as they relate to the prevention ofincrustation in the chemicalfeed pipe, may also be applicable to agreater or less degree in other systems of water purification, in someof which a heater might not be necessary and would therefore be omittedor in which it might be supplied in some, other form or connection.Obviously, however, the operation of the apparatus as to this feature ofmy invention would be much the same if the heater were simply a filterinstead of both a filter and heater, or if the filter were providedseparately from the heater, and even if the pressure heater or filterwere substituted for the open form shown my improvements would still beavailable to some extent; but in so far as the invention contemplatesthe securing of a uniform flow of the chemical, it particularly relatesto openheater systems, since in them the pulsating discharges of largevolumes of exhaust-steam from the engine produce varying degrees of backpressure on the incoming feed-water and the variable opening of, thefeed-water valve, due to the greater or smaller consumption of water,producesvarying pressures, so that if the chemical be conducted into thefeed-water pipe where it is subject to these varying pressures its flowis found to be se riously irregular and subject to stoppage, especially.as it is more or less throttled in any case by the sight-feed andneedle-valve. The conducting of the chemical directly into the top ofthe heater or into a point of the feed-water inlet-pipe so near to theheater that the feed-water pressure or head is relieved or removed isfound to be a marked improvement in this respect and to producematerially better results in securing the uniform flow of chemicaldesired.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with a water system, of atank containing a purifying agent, a discharge connectionleading fromthe tank into the system, and means for preventing the incrustation ofsaid connection.

2. The combination with a water system, of a tank containing a purifyingagent, a discharge connection leading from the tank into the system, andmeans for heating said discharge connection.

3. The combination with a water system, of a tank containing a purifyingagent, a discharge connection leading from said tank into the system,and a heating-jacket applied to said discharge connection to prevent theincrustation thereof.

4. The combination, with a feed-water system, including an open heater,steam inlet and exhaust pipes, and a water-supply pipe, of a tankadapted to contain a purifying agent and supplied at its bottom withwater under pressure, and a discharge connection leading from the upperportion of the tank into the heater system at a point where thewater-pressure has been relieved.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix mysignature, in presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 2d day ofNovember, A. D. 1900.

ADOLPH SORGE, JR.

Vitnesses:

HENRY W. CARTER, A. 'J. CUMMINGS.

